1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sports training devices, and more particularly to a ball tossing apparatus and method used to train a sports player to hit air-born objects. Even more, particularly the present invention is used to improve the batting skills of a baseball/softball player.
2. Description of the Background Art
The game of baseball has been an American favorite for well over a century. Developing the skills required to play the game of baseball takes time, and continuous training on the part of the player. Batting, a skill required to be a valuable baseball player, is often one of the most difficult to learn because of its complex nature. For example, a batter must repeatedly execute consistent setup and stride at the plate. Additionally, an experienced batter will be able to selectively hit to different field positions. Finally, the batter must develop excellent hand-eye coordination, so as to be able to hit a ball at many varied pitch locations.
Many devices have been presented in the prior art that provide batting practice by vertically tossing baseballs to a batter. These devices, however, require frequent reloading, and/or manual release of the baseball in a manner detrimental to proper skill development of the batter. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,318, issued Sep. 12, 1989 to Lehmann et al., the batter must frequently reload the ball tossing device, and must depress a foot pedal to launch the ball, which could hinder consistent stride and stance development. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,081, issued Jun. 22, 1993 to Rooks. Rooks discloses a batter training apparatus that randomly releases balls to the batter. According to Rooks a plurality of launchers are arranged linearly in relation to one another. This linear arrangement results in incomplete coverage of the strike zone. Another disadvantage of Rooks is that the release mechanism is such that two or more balls may be released simultaneously, thereby wasting valuable practice time.
Many prior art devices also have the disadvantage of focusing ball coverage only to areas in and directly around the conventional strike zone. The conventional strike zone is generally understood to be the area over home plate through which a pitched baseball must pass horizontally to be called a strike. Rooks, for example focuses on this area. However, it is sometimes desirable to hit pitches early (in front of home plate) or late (behind home plate) to “pull” balls to different sides of the field. For example, a right handed hitter can hit a ball to the left side of the field by hitting the ball early, and can hit a ball to the right side of the field by hitting the ball late. It is also sometimes desirable to hit an inside (batter side of home plate) or outside (side of home plate opposite the batter) pitch.
Devices which launch balls to a batter horizontally provide no control as to where along the horizontal path the balls are struck by the batter. In vertical launch pitching machines, such as described by Rooks, the position of the launch device determines the point of contact in the horizontal plane. However, the prior art, including Rooks, does not recognize the advantage of vertically launching baseballs in front of the plate, behind the plate, or outside of the strike zone.
What is needed is a ball tossing apparatus that releases balls in a variety of locations, both inside and outside the strike zone, in a controlled manner, without disrupting the action of the hitter. What is also needed is a baseball training apparatus that is convenient to use and transport.